The Best I Can Do
by Grettigirl123
Summary: John is very angry to hear that 15 yr old Dean has been in a fight at school, especially when the kid is in Sam's grade. But John soon discovers that there is more to the story than he realized, and he is forced to take a good look at what his boys have to deal with and what he misses while he's gone. First two chapters are John and Dean, third is John and Sam. Pls read and review.
1. Chapter 1

**The Best I can Do**

It was easy to see that the pros far outweighed the cons. Dean had listed them back and forth in his head the entire walk home from school and, yeah, he had definitely done the right thing in this situation.

Okay, so he had been kept after school and then suspended for fighting, but hey, at least it hadn't been Sammy who had been in the fight and got in trouble. And, yeah, it really didn't look good that the kid Dean fought is only in the sixth grade, same as Sam, and Dean is a freshman, but the kid was huge and was almost Dean's size anyway, so all in all it was fair. It wasn't much of a fight anyway, and Dean wasn't looking for trouble. At least he tried to reason with the kid, but he had been a real dick, just as Sammy said he was, and Dean just basically swatted him and the bitch went down like a pile of bricks. Dean smiled as he thought of how Sammy could've easily kicked the punk's ass into next week.

Which was the other con in the battle of pros and cons, Sammy was really mad at him for stepping in and fighting his battles for him. Dean would now have to face a pissed off little brother when he got home, but still, Dean felt pretty confident that all in all he had done the right thing, and once Dean explained it to him, Sammy would have to agree.

The best part about all of this was the fact that Sam and Dean's dad was still out on a job and wouldn't be home for a few days, so he wouldn't have to know anything about this. All Dean would have to do is forge his Dad's name on the note from the principal that he was aware of what happened and Dean would be home free….no harm, no foul.

That was, until Dean rounded the corner of the street to the house they were renting and saw his Dad's Impala parked in the driveway.

"Oh, crap." Dean said to himself as he felt the air leave his lungs. Dean stopped in his tracks to think for a minute. "Okay, this may not be as bad as you think. You can still get away with this one, kid, if you just play it cool. Maybe Dad doesn't know anything. You can still leave in the morning like you're going to school and just head off to the movies instead." Dean gave a quick smile to himself as he took a deep breath. "Just relax and keep your head. Besides, maybe he's just stopped in quickly to restock on supplies…Stranger things have happened."

Playing it casually, Dean jogged up the driveway, skipped up the porch stairs two at a time and tried to cheerfully enter the house. He gave a big smile as he saw his Dad seated at the kitchen table sipping a cup of coffee.

"Hey, Dad." He said happily, "You're home early." He then looked around the kitchen. "Where's Sam?"

John Winchester set his cup down and stood, leaning his back against the table. He folded his arms across his chest and cocked his head slightly to the side. He looked his oldest son up and down, and then gave a thin smile.

"Hello, Son." He answered. "Sam is in his room, working on homework, and yes, I am home a few days early. I can only stay the night, but we'll talk about that in a minute." He paused as he watched Dean set his backpack down next to the kitchen door. "I stopped at the school to pick you and your brother up, but Sammy told me that you had to stay after." He waited until Dean's eyes met his before he continued. "What did you stay after for?"

Dean shrugged casually as he tried to make light of the question. "Oh, it's just some school stuff." Dean walked to the fridge and opened it, looking for a snack. "Nothing I can't handle."

John turned and took a piece of paper from the table. He held it in front of him and looked at it as he spoke. "As Sam was getting in the car, the principal came out and handed me this." He held it out for Dean to see, but he could tell by the panicked look on Dean's face that he already knew what it was, so he placed it back down on the table. "Now, I'm going to calmly ask you one last time before I lose my temper…what did you stay after for?"

Dean sighed and bowed his head. "Okay, I had a disagreement with this kid and it escalated into a scuffle. It was over in just a few seconds and it wasn't a big deal. The principal totally over-reacted."

John leaned forward as he raised his voice. "Wasn't a big deal? Dean, you punched a sixth grader in the gut and dropped him to the ground writhing in pain and gasping for breath. You call that nothing? The kid's Sam's age, for Christ's sake, what the Hell were you thinking?"

Dean put his hands up to placate his father. "Okay, first of all, this kid may be in Sam's grade, but he's stayed back at least twice. He's closer to my age than Sam's, and he's almost my size. Second, he's been giving Sam a really hard time in school, and he needed to be brought down a few notches, so the punk had it coming. And third, that little bastard was sitting outside the school waiting for Sam to come out, so if I hadn't stepped in, the kid would have jumped him and it would have been Sammy in the fight."

"Well alright then, Sammy's fully capable of taking care of himself. Why didn't you just let Sam handle it on his own instead of jumping in and fighting for him? You probably made it worse for him, do you realize that?"

Dean blew out an exasperated breath. "Yes, Sir, I realize that, but I didn't want Sam fighting. He'd get in trouble and he would be the one suspended right now and not me…..and he can't get suspended or it would screw up that thing he has on Friday night."

A perplexed look crossed John's face. "What thing?"

It was now Dean's turn to raise his voice as his arms swept out in front of him. "That science fair thing, with the competition and the volcano that Sam's been working on for a month now!"

John gave a deep sigh and sank down against the table. He rubbed his temples as he remembered about the fair. "That's this Friday night?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah, it's this Friday night and if he got suspended then he wouldn't be able to go, and he'd be devastated 'cuz he's been working on that stupid volcano every single night and it's actually really great and he's got a good shot at getting first place in the competition, so he couldn't fight even though that kid was just a big pussy and Sam could've dropped him like a fly." Dean realized after a moment that he was ranting, so he took a deep breath and lowered his voice. "So that's the thing, and that's why I stepped in. Sam's mad at me as it is. He wasn't happy about me butting into his business, but I had to. It was for his own good." Dean then saw the look on his Dad's face. "You _are _going to the science fair, right? You told him that you…that we _all_ would go together. It's important to Sam…you have no idea….you _have_ to be there."

John shook his head to change the subject. "One thing at a time." He answered. John thought as he took in everything Dean had just told him. He gritted his teeth at the thought of Dean getting into trouble at school, but whether he liked it or not, he could see Dean's point, although he wasn't about to let Dean off the hook just yet.

"What's this boy giving Sam a hard time about, anyway?"

Dean sucked in a breath and shook his head. "I'd rather not say, Sam made me promise not to tell you, and you may not take it very well."

Dean's answer annoyed John, and soon he was at the point of losing his temper again. "Well, you can either have a conversation with me about it, or my belt will have a nice long conversation with your backside."

Dean's jaw tightened as he decided he'd better spill what Sam had told him. "Okay, but just remember not to shoot the messenger….."

"Just get on with it, Dean!"

"Yes, Sir. In the five weeks we've been here, this science fair will be the third after school event that Sam's class has put on, so at lunch yesterday this kid was giving Sam all kinds of crap about how you've never gone to any of them. He told Sam that he didn't believe he even had a father and if he did….." Dean paused, not quite knowing how to delicately put the rest of the sentence.

John felt a lump in his throat as he urged Dean on, "If he did, what?"

Dean swallowed hard, but continued. "And if he did, then his Dad must not give a crap about him anyway."

John felt his chest clench from the guilt inside him. He lowered his eyes and stared blankly at the floor.

Dean took it as a sign that his Dad wasn't going to explode just yet, so he cautiously continued. "So Sam stuck up for you, saying that he didn't know squat about you, and that you just had a very important job to do, and that Sam understood why you couldn't come to everything the school put on. The kid just laughed in Sam's face and said that you were probably just lying about having to be somewhere else so you wouldn't have to spend time with him, so Sam told him to shut his mouth. That night when Sam got home, I could tell he was upset, so I pried the story out of him. I had a feeling that things might come to a boil after school today, so I went to Sam's school to check on him, and when I did, I saw the kid in the parking lot, ready to jump Sam. That's when I ran over and stepped in."

John nodded at Dean. He sucked in a breath and thought for a moment, taking in the whole story. "Okay," he finally answered, "I can see why you felt you had to do what you did, so you're off the hook without consequence….for now. I do plan to double check this story with Sam and the school principal just to be sure."

Dean's eyes shot up to his father. "No, Dad. You can't tell Sam that I told you about this. He made me promise not to tell you, and if he knew that I did then he won't trust me with any other problems that come along. Do what you have to do with the principal, but please don't say anything about this to Sam." Dean gave a smart alecky smirk to John. "I only told you because my ass was on the line….literally."

John chortled at his boy and his crazy sense of humor. "Fine," he huffed. "But I am going to talk to the principal…and watch your language."

Dean took a seat at the table and opened the pudding cup he had taken from the fridge earlier. "So, you have to leave again tomorrow? Is everything okay with the hunt?"

John sat back down in his chair as he joined his son at the table "Yeah, everything is fine with the hunt. Caleb and I just miscalculated the lunar cycle by a day, that's all. We had to postpone the hunt until tomorrow night."

Dean cautiously eyed his father as he readdressed a touchy subject. "So, do you think you'll be back by Friday night at five o'clock?"

John avoided Dean's eyes as he brought his coffee mug to his lips. "I'll do what I can." He answered before taking a sip.

Dean groaned and leaned against the back of his chair, knowing all too well what that answer usually meant.

John read Dean's body language loud and clear and became defensive. "Look," He explained, "I know this fair is important to Sam, but it certainly does not take precedence over something as critical as exterminating a werewolf, or maybe even a small pack of them. I have to strike while the lunar cycle is right, so it's not like I can put this sort of thing off until it's convenient for me."

Dean winced as he heard the same speech his father gave his sons each and every time either he or Sam wanted their dad to be somewhere for them. He sighed heavily, "I know." Dean knew what the next words out of his dad's mouth were going to be so well that he could have said them with him.

"Need I remind you that people are dying, Dean?"

"No, Sir. You don't need to remind me. I'm fully aware."

"Okay, then. Now my first priority will have to be killing these things and for Caleb and me to survive killing them. As I said, I will do what I can to be there, and that's the best I can offer right now." Taking his last swallow of coffee, John brought his mug to the sink. "Besides, you're going to be there, right? So at least he will have one of us there, just in case I can't make it home in time."

Dean shook his head slightly and stared down at the table. "Yes, I will be there." Then, almost under his breath, Dean muttered. "I figure _someone_ has to show up and be there for the poor kid." Dean seemed surprised to hear those words come out of his mouth as his eyes widened in fear and looked up at his father.

Dean fully expected his dad to have a very strong reaction to his comment, and he braced himself for it. Instead, John just glared at him, remaining motionless. "This conversation's over." He finally answered. "Go to your room until I get us some supper."

"Yes, Sir." Dean stood from the table and left the kitchen.

John watched Dean walk through the doorway. He let out a deep breath and scrubbed his hand down his face. As much as he knew his job was important, this was the part of it that he hated the most. Today was Tuesday, and he knew that the chances of him wrapping up this job and being home by Friday were slim, at best. However, He would try with everything he had to be there, and that was the best he could do.

**TBC**

_Thank you so much for taking the time to read this….I hope you are enjoying it so far. I should have the second half of the story up within a week's time. Please take a moment and leave a quick review. _


	2. Chapter 2

_**This is just a little baby lead-in chapter, but I'm having some shoulder surgery tomorrow and may not be up to typing for a while. I thought I'd post what little I've accomplished this week. It's also an in between scene to connect the two. Once again, it's just Dean and John. Sam's in this story, somewhere. I promise he will make a full appearance next chapter. As always, I thank everyone for your kind words, favorites and follows. Please leave a quick review if you have a moment. I would love to hear from you.**_

It was ten minutes after nine o'clock when John Winchester opened the kitchen door of the house on Friday evening. The house was quiet and dark, except for a small light on over the stove. Dean was seated at the table, a can of soda in his hand and his feet propped up on the chair beside him. John actually felt anxious as he made eye contact with his oldest son. He fully expected a huge argument about his missing the science fair, but instead Dean showed concern as he sat up straighter in his seat.

"How did everything turn out?" he asked in concern. "Are you and Caleb okay? Did you get the werewolf? Is it over?"

John nodded as he set his duffel on the countertop. "Yes," He answered. "Everything went exactly as planned and everyone is fine. Caleb is on his way to his home now. The wolf was a nasty sucker, but it is dead."

Dean breathed a sigh of relief as he settled back down in his seat. "That's good." He replied as he brought his soda can to his lips.

"Yeah," John leaned against the counter as he looked around the house. It actually looked in pretty good shape, considering he had been gone for two nights and the boys had been in charge. There were a few dishes in the sink, but they were rinsed, and the table and countertops had been wiped down. A few moments had passed before John realized that this was the awkward silence that usually preceded an uncomfortable subject.

John cleared his throat, knowing he would have to ask sooner or later, so he may as well get started with it. "Where's your brother?"

Dean's eyes darkened. "In bed, I think. He went straight to his room when we got home. He was pretty quiet the whole walk here."

John looked at his watch. "It's pretty early for him to be in bed for a Friday….."

Dean didn't wait for his father to finish his sentence. "How could you do that to him?" he blurted out as he stood from his chair. "He worked so hard, and this thing meant so much to him. How could you just…..just NOT be there? Especially after I told you what that jerk at school said to him. All you did tonight was help that creep's case. Now Sammy will have to put up with even more bullshit at school."

John took a deep breath. "Look! First of all, I tried…damn it, Dean, I really tried to make it back here on time. I drove 90 miles an hour for three hours straight hoping to get back in time. It just didn't happen. And second, Sam won't have to hear anything else from that punk because we are leaving here first thing Monday morning, so Sam won't be going back to that school anyway."

Dean snorted at his father's answer as he shook his head in disbelief. "Well," he snarled back, "I guess that makes everything all better then, doesn't it?"

John put his hand up at Dean's retort. "You're lucky I'm not up for it, or your ass would be blistered pretty bad right about now."

Dean blew out a breath, put his hands on his hips and stared down at the floor, resigning his half of the argument, for the time being.

John had one last question before he was through with Dean and his smart assed remarks. "Well, how did he do in the competition?"

Dean stared blankly at John, as if surprised by the question. "If you want the answer to that, then you'll have to ask Sam yourself. I'm going to bed."

John stood silently as Dean walked by him at the doorway and went down the hall and into his bedroom, closing the door behind him.

John tried to rub the stress from his temples as he made his way to Sam's bedroom. He took a moment on the other side of the door, not knowing what to expect once he opened it.


	3. Chapter 3

_**For whatever reason, this chapter fought me tooth and nail with every single paragraph. When I read it back to myself, I have to be able to hear the characters' voices in my head with the dialogue, so I kept tinkering with it to try to make it sound more like they do/did in the series. After driving myself crazy over it for about a week, I decided that I was as happy with it as I was going to get, so here it is. I was aiming for sweet but not sappy. I hope it worked. . I'm curious to hear what you think.**_

John took a deep breath as he placed his hand on the doorknob of Sam's bedroom door. He rapped his knuckles against the door to knock a few times as he opened it and peeked inside.

Sam's room was dark except for the glow of a small reading lamp at the head of Sam's bed. Sam was lying on his stomach on top of the bedspread, propped up on his elbows reading a book. His right hand held the book open, his left hand was pressed against his forehead, serving to both rest his head on as well as keep his hair out of his eyes as he read. John couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of his youngest son. Always reading. John couldn't remember the last time he saw Sam without a book in his hand and at least two more in his backpack that he was reading at the same time.

Upon seeing John, Sam sat up a bit and turned to face his father. His face held no expression as he greeted him. "Hi, Dad. Did everything go okay with the hunt?"

John nodded as he took a few steps deeper into Sam's room. "Yes, Sammy. Everything went fine. The wolf has been exterminated and both Caleb and I got out of it without a scratch."

Sam nodded back at his father with a half smile, but then turned back to his book. "That's good." He answered as he resumed his reading. "I guess that means we'll be leaving here soon, right?" Sam asked, without looking up from his book.

John ambled to the side of Sam's bed and sat down on the edge of it. As he sat, he noticed the massive contraption that was Sam's volcano on the other side of the bed. It was at least two feet tall and wide, with little ravines grooved into the side of it where the flow of lava was to pour down. Small trees and greenery adorned the base of the mountain, with a deep canal carved into the bottom. The volcano itself was amazingly colored with deep browns and greens, and from the residue stuck to the sides of it, it appeared that the lava was a brilliant glowing orange. Dean was right, Sam's project was actually really great, and John couldn't imagine another sixth grader creating anything that could top this. A sharp pang of guilt hit John's heart as he realized, much to his shame, that even though Sam had been working on this for several weeks, this was the very first time he had seen it.

John's attention turned back to Sam as he answered his question. "Yeah, we'll be heading out first thing on Monday. Uncle Bobby found a hunt for us close to his neck of the woods, so we'll be leaving California to head out to the Dakotas, you and Dean can stay at Bobby's house while we go check out the case."

Sam sighed as his eyes continued to scan the words across the pages. "Great, another new school."

John figured this was as good a time as any, so he approached the sensitive subject with Sam. "Speaking of school, how did the science fair go tonight?"

John could see Sam's features darken a little as he shrugged. "It went okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. No big deal."

John blew out a slight breath. "Sam, close the book for a minute and look at me while I'm talking to you. I don't want to stare at the back of your head during a conversation."

A look of annoyance passed Sam's face as he closed his book, but he sat up to face his father. "Yes, Sir."

"I asked you how the science fair went, and I would like a better answer than 'okay' this time."

Sam raised his arms slightly in a shrug as he answered his dad. "I don't know what you want me to say. It went fine. We all did our presentations, they announced the winners, then Dean and I had some punch and cookies and we came home. Like I said, no big deal."

"Well, was your volcano one of the winners?"

Sam looked to the floor as he shrugged his answer. "Yeah."

Judging from Sam's reaction, John guessed that maybe the presentation didn't go as well as he assumed it had, as Sam didn't seem very eager to talk about it. He was almost hesitant to ask the next question.

"What place did it get?"

Just as nonchalantly as the rest of his answers, Sam's gaze remained on the floor as he sighed. "It placed first."

John's eyes opened wide as he gasped. "You _won_?"

"Yeah."

"That's great, Sport." John smiled at Sam, but Sam didn't even meet his father's eyes. "So did you get a medal or something for getting first place?"

The corner of Sam's mouth turned up a little as he glanced across the room. His voice remained expressionless as he casually pointed toward his bureau. "Yeah, I got a trophy."

"Well, let's take a look at it." John tried to keep his demeanor upbeat, but he could easily tell that Sam was acting very down.

John rose from the bed as he walked toward the bureau where Sam directed him. A look of confusion crossed his face when he failed to see anything. "I don't see it."

Sam sighed as if bored with the entire conversation. "It's beside the bureau…on the floor."

In the darkened corner of the room, John was impressed to see a large trophy beside the bureau, until he got closer and realized that right next to the side of Sam's bureau was a trash can, and the trophy had been placed inside it.

Trying to get past the knot in his stomach, John retrieved the trophy from the can and held it up to look at it. "Wow, look at this." He said as he returned to sit beside Sam again. Sam never looked up, and now seemed to be staring down at his hands, which were folded on his lap in front of him. John set the trophy down next to the bed and quietly asked his son a question.

"Sammy, why did you put your trophy in the trash?"

Sam shrugged without looking up. "Cuz I don't want to keep it."

John looked down at the trophy. "Why wouldn't you want to keep it, Sam? It's great, and it should mean a lot to you."

Sam's eyes moved to peer at John through his bangs. "Well it doesn't. It doesn't mean anything to me. It doesn't have any value…..it's not important."

"Is that really how you feel?"

"Yeah, it is. So you can go put it back in the trash, where it belongs. It's just a stupid piece of plastic."

John was beginning to think that maybe he should have driven 110 miles per hour to get home tonight. The pain his son was trying so hard to hide was showing like a neon sign across his face, yet Sam clenched his jaw tight and maintained his stare at the floor. So stubborn. John really had to think about how he would handle this and what course of action he should take next. Ultimately, he stood from the bed, picked the trophy up and brought it back across the room. He opted to place the trophy on top of the bureau rather than return it to the trash.

He walked back to the bed and knelt down in front of Sam, placing his hands on his son's shoulders as he spoke.

"Sammy," He began, "I've got to tell you something, and I want you to listen….don't interrupt me while I'm talking, just….. listen."

Sam's eyes briefly met his father's. For a moment he wondered if he was about to get in trouble, but his dad didn't look angry, so Sam relaxed a bit. "Okay." He answered.

John looked down for a moment and then brought his head back up. He took a breath and held it an extra second, as if trying to decide what he was going to say. He gave a sad smile. "I'm sorry. I should have been there for you tonight, I really should have. I wish I had been there to see your volcano presentation. I wish I had been there to see you get your award. Hell, I even wish I had been there to have some punch and cookies with you and Dean…."

Sam shook his head, "It's okay….." He began.

"Sam, I said no interrupting, remember?" John reminded as he started again, "And you were wrong, the trophy _is_ important."

"Why?" Sam asked, interrupting yet again. "What's so important about a volcano, or a sixth grade science fair, for that matter? What you and Dean do is important. You guys save lives, you make a difference to people….keep them safe. What I do is stupid."

John couldn't help but raise his voice a little. "Sam, don't talk like that, you hear me?"

"It's true! Now that Dean's old enough, he goes out with you now and then and helps you with the hunts. I stay in motel rooms and apartments and do research. It's lame."

As irritated as John was becoming, he was adamant that this discussion was not going to turn into an argument. He closed his eyes and kept his composure in check. He returned to his spot beside Sam on the bed and turned his son's shoulders toward him so they were facing one another.

"Look, there are many words to describe you, Sammy, but 'lame' and 'stupid' will never be on the list." The expression on Sam's face showed John that he was not convinced. "Even at eleven years old, you are already the brains of this outfit, do you know that? Your 'lame' research is what helps us discover what we are up against, and nine out of ten times it tells us how to kill it. You don't think that's important?"

Sam cast his eyes downward and shrugged.

John continued, "Well it is. It's damned important. Sometimes it's a matter of life and death for us, so you keep _us_ safe, and you make a difference in _our_ lives. Your research skills are incredible! I've seen seasoned hunters who can't identify monsters as well or as quickly as you can, and that's no joke." John then blew out a deep breath and scrubbed his hand down his face. "I guess I never really tell you that you go a great job with both the hunts and with school, and now you're feeling like what you do doesn't matter, and that's my fault, that's on me. Both you and Dean make me very proud." John paused for a moment, hoping his words would sink in for Sam. In the end John couldn't help himself, he leaned in closer to Sam and bumped shoulders with him. "Did you ever know that you're my hero?" He joked.

John was happy to see his comment made Sam give a slight smirk, so he decided to finish his lecture. "So I don't want to hear you saying what you do isn't important or doesn't matter, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir." It took a moment, but Sam returned a smile to his father.

Just to drive the point home, John added one more remark. "Do you know how old I was when I won my first trophy?"

Sam shook his head, but looked up at his dad for the answer.

John smiled. "I'm still waiting to win one, so that tells you how talented I am! You must get your brains from your mother, 'cuz they sure as Hell didn't come from me." John stood from the bed and walked back over to the trophy. He held it in his hands as he turned back toward Sam. "So, we're going to keep this, and everywhere we go, we're going to set it out for us to see, because it is important, and I think it's pretty damned great." John's eyes held a hint of sadness. "I'm just really sorry I missed seeing you get it."

Sam shrugged his shoulders again. "That's okay. Maybe you'll be able to go to the seventh grade one."

John set the trophy back down. "Well, maybe I don't feel like waiting that long." He replied.

Sam scrunched his face in confusion. "What do you mean? There isn't another one this year, it's over."

John pulled a pamphlet out of his back pocket as he returned to Sam's side. He handed the pamphlet to Sam as he sat down on the bed. "Take a look at what I saw on a diner bulletin board."

Sam opened the flier and began to read the advertisement. As he read, his eyes brightened and held excitement. "An honor's science fair at Stanford University?"

John nodded. "Yep, for honors students aged 10 through 17, and it's Sunday afternoon. Do you think you can get your volcano ready to go again by then?"

Sam nodded his head as his eyes continued to read the pamphlet. "Sure." He answered, but at that very moment his shoulders slumped in disappointment. He looked up at John. "But, the registration deadline was for yesterday."

John's face dropped as he reached for the flier. "What? Where does it say that?" he asked as his eyes skimmed across it.

Sam pointed, "Right there." Sensing his dad was upset at the discovery, Sam tried to pacify him. "It's okay, it was a nice thought, anyway."

"Hmm," John replied, and then gave a mischievous smile at Sam. "Well then, I guess it's a good thing I called and registered you yesterday, right?"

Sam's eyes shot open wide as a huge smile finally made an appearance on his face. "You did?"

"Sure did, so I figure you'll have all day tomorrow to get your volcano ready, then the three of us will head out to the college first thing Sunday morning. I need to see for myself how awesome it looks when it erupts."

"You won't be disappointed."

Sam and John both turned their heads to see Dean standing at Sam's bedroom door. Sam smiled as he held up the pamphlet, "Did you hear what Dad signed me up for?" he asked.

"You bet I did, Kiddo, and you're gonna do great!" Dean turned to John in a 'take charge' manner, "He's gonna need some vinegar, and some more baking soda….oh, and maybe some touch up paint for the trees that got covered in the lava goop the first time."

John put his hands up as he couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, okay. We'll make a trip to the store tomorrow and get all the stuff he'll need." He turned to Sam, "Which means you have a very big day tomorrow, so get some shut eye, ya hear me?"

"Yes, Sir." Sam answered as he stood and wrapped his arms around his dad in a tight hug. "Thanks, Dad."

"You're welcome, Son."

Sam released his father and plopped back across his bed, tucking the pamphlet under his pillow. "Good night, Dad. Good night, Dean."

"Good night, Sam." Dean and John said in unison as they left the room and closed the door.

As Dean and John walked down the hall, Dean stopped and turned to his dad. "Dad, I owe you an apology."

John stopped Dean from saying anything else. "It's alright, Dean. I understand that you were upset and were concerned for Sammy. I know how protective you are of him."

"That was really great what you did for Sam, with the Stanford fair. That little brain will fit right in with those guys. It'll be like he died and went to geek heaven." Dean joked.

John laughed at Dean's remark, "Get yourself to bed, now, Son. We've got a big weekend ahead of us."

Dean yawned and stretched. "Yeah, sounds good."

Before Dean could turn to leave, John had one last thing to say. " And, Dean, I know that sometimes I fall short on some of the things going on with you boys, but I want you to know that I always try to do the best I can do."

"I know, Dad."

John smiled as his oldest son gave him a hug and plodded his way down the hall to his room, closing the door behind him. John went into the kitchen and poured himself a drink. Tonight had been a big night for him. One less monster out there, another night he and his fellow hunter made it home safely, and for once, both his sons were happy with him at the same time.

THE END

_**As always, I thank you very much for taking the time to read my story. I do hope you enjoyed it. If you have a moment, please leave a review. I'd love to hear from you. **_


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